Held at the Vogue Theatre, the performance benefitted the Potluck Café Society, which creates jobs and provides thousands of free, nutritious meals annually for residents in the Downtown Eastside, where the median household income is nearly $10,000 below the poverty line.

“We take part in this every year because Potluck does an incredible job supporting the Downtown Eastside people in need of food and the incredibly talented members of the Grand Cariboo Opry are so generous with their time, how can anyone not support this,” said Rand Group Vice President George Brown, who is based at the company’s Vancouver office.

The variety portion of the show features humorous introductions to each song, with a reference to the song’s sponsor. For Rand Group, the intro drew from the company’s Texas roots to usher in a surprise appearance of singer-songwriter guitarist Colin James performing the Johnny Cash favourite Long Black Veil.

The Grand Cariboo Opry (soon to be renamed the Grand Cariboo Express) features more than a dozen Canadian performers delivering opry-style music. Since its launch in 2006, the ever-changing troupe has raised more than $250,000 for the Potluck Café Society alone, plus various charities across Western Canada.

Barney Bentall & The Grand Cariboo Opry Show is just one of a variety of community initiatives Rand group supports each year. Others include Big Brothers Big Sisters Texas, along with many community and cultural groups including the Houston Symphony and the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston.

“Our organization makes a point of giving back to the community, and that extends into our branch locations in both Vancouver and Dallas,” Brown said. “Corporate responsibility begins where our people are. It’s important for us to connect with issues that are locally relevant.”